Quantum shift for McDonalds NZ
- What would you like with that?

New Zealand has become only the third country in the world where McDonald’s will offer a new customisable gourmet burger menu called Create Your Taste. Using digital kiosks, customers can build their own burgers, choosing from 20 ingredients such as jalapenos, guacamole and grilled mushrooms. It’s a lot more costly than a Big Mac, though, with prices for the new burgers starting from $10.90.

For the first time at McDonald’s, table service will be offered, allowing customers to sit down and enjoy a drink and free Wi-Fi while they wait for their creation to be made hot off the grill and brought to their table.

A quantum shift for McDonald’s

The trial, at McDonald’s in Balmoral, Auckland, is the start of a bold plan which the company says will to transform the McDonald’s experience for New Zealanders over the next five years. It’s part of a global initiative to restore the company’s fortunes after global sales dropped by 3.3 percent last year, leading to the replacement of the company's president after 5 straight quarters of decline. The franchise seems to be performing better in New Zealand, though, thanks in part to the re-introduction of Georgie Pie.

‘The Balmoral restaurant will be a real insight into the future of McDonald’s,’ says Patrick Wilson, managing director of McDonald’s New Zealand. ‘How the restaurant looks, how you order your food, how staff interact with customers, what you can order, and how it is made and presented – the whole customer experience takes a quantum shift at Balmoral.’

Through its ‘Our Food, Your Questions’ initiative, social media, extensive research and the My Macca’s Review app, McDonald’s is using customer insight and demand to guide decisions and new innovations like Create Your Taste.

‘Just like we did launching McCafe 15 years ago, and then offering barista-made coffee at Drive-Thru last year, McDonald’s is innovating again in line with the changing needs and expectations of our customers,’ says Patrick Wilson. ‘We’ve carried out considerable consumer research during the last year, and the initiatives we’re rolling out match what our customers have asked us to do.’

‘We’re looking forward to hearing customer feedback about our new burger range and service offering. Our intention is to roll out Create Your Taste to selected restaurants nationally within the next 12 months.

The new offer

• Create Your Taste provides customers the opportunity to create their own burger to suit their taste. Using digital touch screen kiosks, customers can order one of three suggested gourmet burgers — a ‘Classic Cheeseburger’, ‘Homestyle’ or ‘Chipotle’, or create their own burger from a choice of 20 ingredients.
• Customers can choose their bun, cheese, sauces, salad toppings and premium toppings such as bacon, egg, grilled pineapple and guacamole.
• Customers can also enjoy a sit-down dining experience, with meals brought to their table and presented on a wooden board with a wire basket of fries.
• The base cost of the burgers is from $10.90, but the final cost will depend on what ingredients are chosen.